Green Leaf Brewing Co.

Rank in North Vancouver: 4th place (out of 5)
Rank in Metro Vancouver: 34th place (out of 48)
Rank in Southwest B.C.: 54th place (out of 77)

Take to the seas and venture north! Across the briny depths of the Burrard Inlet, snugly situated in Lonsdale Quay, is Green Leaf Brewing. This North Shore microbrewery has provided the quay with a solid and welcoming ground floor presence since opening in 2013, while in turn benefiting from the panoply of tasty foods served up by the other vendors in the shopping centre, all of which you can bring into their charming, wood-grained tasting room to munch on along with your flight.

Add in a beautiful patio view — which is growing in size this year, making it easier to snag a spot — and a diverse group of IPAs and sours, and you have all the ingredients for a brewery with buzz.

But unless you’re forced to take the Seabus on a regular basis, it lacks a raison d’être: the people in our group who work on the North Shore sang Green Leaf’s praises, the rest of us, less so.

More unfortunately, Green Leaf can have some misses, like an IPA that was much too IPA to be drinkable, even for the most hop-fetishistic of West Coast drinkers.

The patio has a wonderful view, if you can get one of the eight seats.

Their commitment to adventure, however, leads them to try things that belong on any local brew-aficionado’s bucket list. They have brewed beer with mushrooms, beer brewed with burning rocks, and an IPA aged in a merlot barrel. This is a brewery that will regularly make you wonder, “What will they think of next?”.

Overall, Green Leaf has some pretty drinkable beers, occasional flashes of true brilliance, and a dedication to trying new and interesting things that occasionally results in them laying a huge, unpalatable egg. It’s worth delaying your trip back overtown by a few SeaBus sailings.